Nightlock
by Love Dolphin
Summary: Foxface never died. She was determined to live through the poisonous berries. And she's been living in the arena ever since. Looks like there were three victors from the 74th annual Hunger Games...
1. Chapter 1

Nightlock

The berries were in plain sight. They were there, looking like an omen, like I needed them. So I took a deep breath, and ran out. I snatched up the berries and ran away before anyone could see me.

Before eating them, I took one and examined it. It was bright red and looked very juicy. So I took a bite and instantly regretted it. The berries are poisonous!

I figured that out a bit too late. My body was already shutting down and I was falling into a sleep. But I was determined to live. So I coughed and coughed and coughed, spewing the berries from my mouth. Already I felt like I was dying.

So I closed my eyes. It's no use. I said my silent good-byes in my head. In the distance I heard a cannon go off. Was that mine?

I had slipped into a deep sleep and was sure that I was dead, but the feeling of an acute pain woke me up. I was being lifted away from the arena with a claw. _Wait, _I thought. _Isn't this what happens to tributes when they die? Am I dead? _

But I was determined to win. So I wiggled out of the claw and fell down, down, down…

And hit the ground with a THUD! The wind was knocked out of me. I saw the claw coming back down for me. But it stopped as I heard another cannon go off. The claw stopped pursuing me and went somewhere else.

I spotted a cave and crawled my way inside. In there was a backpack with some food and water. I bet the person who just died gathered all this stuff. Well it's mine now. I started to eat this meat. It was good, cooked well.

I stayed hiding in that cave for the next week, eating all of that food. I saw my face in the sky that night. If only they knew that I was very much alive. One day, something startled me. "Stop! I give you Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from District 12!"

I guess they ended up winning. Those district 12 victors. And suddenly, the arena went silent.

I was tempted to run out and say, "Hi! It's me! I'm alive!" But I didn't because I knew they would probably kill me. I guess I'll live off of whatever is in the arena. I don't know if I will make it, or how long I will be here. But I guess I was destined to die once I was reaped, so what do I have to lose?


	2. A Capitol Tour

** A/N: Hey everyone! I see that a lot of people have followed this story. Thanks so much, and remember to review!**

It was another long day in the arena. I can almost say that I miss having the other tributes in here. But then again, they were trying to kill me. I haven't seen what I look like in months, and I'm beginning to question that. Is my hair still that fiery red color? Or has it turned to be more of a brown color? Are my eyes still brown? Do I still, well, look like a fox?

I yawned, stretched, and almost hit my head on the top of the cave that I've been living in. "Ow," I muttered. Well, I should really go get some breakfast. I trudged through a lot of mud and skunk cabbage before arriving at a pond. I took out the water purifier and used that to clean some water. I caught a couple fish, then sat down and enjoyed my breakfast.

Other than loneliness, I also suffered from extreme boredom. I had nothing to do in the arena so I sit around most of the time, maybe take a swim or climb a tree. After all, I had the whole arena to myself. This led me to thinking what an arena contains. There are so many uncertainties, but one thing that always here is the glittering cornucopia.

I gasped. Why haven't I been there to visit yet? I could just make it out in the distance and so I decided that will be a day trip today. I put on some shoes, and started the trek.

About an hour later, I arrived there. It was still huge, and some littered weapons that no one bothered to pick up were still on the ground. Looking inside, I found a bag with clothes in it. I picked it up, because I'm in need of some new clothes. As I did, I heard-is that-voices? Quickly, I changed into the clothes, then scrambled out of the cornucopia and climbed the closest tree.

There were people! One person was holding his hand up and in it was a piece of paper, reading something that I could not tell from this distance. And a bunch of people followed. "And here is the site where Katniss Everdeen fought the tribute from District 9 for a bright orange backpack. Anyone want to take part in a reenactment?

_Pathetic, _I thought. _They're having one of those stupid tours that they always give for capitol citizens to tour the arena. How sick is that! _I quickly hid behind a very thick branch to have a closer view. I watched people reenact the death scenes. I stood there silently until someone's eyes shifted right to where I was sitting.


	3. The Capitol Reenactment

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I really appreciate it! This story really isn't that realistic, but that's ok. Anyway, here's chapter 3! Do you think I should make it so that the rebellion happened and they are destroying the arenas, and found Foxface? Or should she find an exit to the arena? Review and tell me what you think! **

I stared at the same lady, whose eyes were full of wonder. Did she know that I was actually the girl that was supposed to have died? But then the moment passed, and she said, "Look everyone! Someone is playing that fox-faced girl!" I froze.

"Well, come down from that tree? You're not supposed to die until tomorrow!" I rolled my eyes, but obediently climbed down from the tree. "So, what did that fox-faced girl do next?" She told me that I ran to a river and began to fill my jug with water. So that's what I did.

It was a good thing that the capitol people had brought all the supplies necessary, because I was running low. Remind me to snag some of it when they leave. Anyway, I kept filling up the water jug until someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Now you disappear into that tree." So I did. It's a bit creepy that these people know my games better than I do.

I sat into the tree, and everyone forgot about me. I watched as the Katniss and Peeta actor and actress got crowned victors. They ditched all the stuff and left. I waited in the tree for about 20 minutes after they left, then hopped down from the tree and grabbed all the stuff.

_Great! _I thought. _Exactly like the real arena's weapons. _I greedily snatched it all up and ran back to the cave. This was a long, tiring day, so I fell asleep quickly after I hit the ground.


	4. Playing in the River

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in the longest time! I have lots of the fun eighth grade things going on at my school, including a trip to Washington DC, an amusement park, and more! Well, here's chapter 4 and I'll try to make it longer…**

I abruptly woke up and immediately remembered all the supplies that the tour group had left. I scurried over to the pile and began to sort the things. I found a new water purifier, some weapons (I wonder if there are any animals in the arena. I haven't come across any yet), a couple pairs of clothes, some rolls, and more.

I began to sort the supplies into three piles. Pile one was the useful things that I would need eventually. Pile 2 was the things that could be useful, but they're not a necessity. Pile 3 was things that I had nothing to do with, like rope.

The next thing I did was take the new water purifier down to a lake and get some water. I also ate a roll. This was my breakfast. After, I wanted to take a swim. So I changed into my dirty old clothes, realizing that I could clean them in the water while I was swimming. After all, if they come out wrecked, I now have three more pairs.

I jumped into the water, and immediately the cool refreshed me. I sighed, and leaned back, like I was doing the breaststroke. I saw a canopy of trees above me, and that gave me an idea.

About 15 minutes later, I had the rope tied to a protruding branch of a tree. I climbed up the tree, and moved to the end of the branch. There, I grabbed onto the rope, and swung off. "Woo-hoo!" I screamed (well as loudly as I could scream without someone outside hearing me), as I swung across the pond and jumped into the water.

I fell, completely submerged in the water, and I broke up, coughing yet laughing. And my last thought was, _I wish there was someone here for me to enjoy this with. _

**A/N: Sorry, it's not much longer, but I'm considering having another person in the arena. Not a tribute, but maybe someone around Foxface's age who went on the tour and got lost? Tell me what you think! **


	5. A Boy

** A/N: I'm getting a lot of comments which is good, but people seem to criticize it a lot. I'll write a REALLY long chapter (or at least I'll try to.) Well, remember to R&R!**

I awoke with a start as I heard footsteps. They were coming closer, as if they were looking for me. It must be one of those capitol tours. For a single, fleeting moment, I thought that it would be my parents coming to look for me, but I brushed that away quickly from my mind because I knew they didn't even know I was still alive.

See, what happened was that right after the claw went to go find the other tribute; I ripped my tracker right out of my arm and put it on the claw, so it would show me lifting up. When the capitol realized that I wasn't there, they probably looked through all the security cameras to try to find me. So I climbed up a tree and shot all the security cameras that I could find with my slingshot.

Eventually, I guess the capitol gave up on finding me and figured that I could die on my own. And anyway, there must be something going on in the outside world that made a tribute living in the arena not their most important problem. I don't know what they gave back to my family, but it was probably a wax model or something like that.

The footsteps were getting louder. I heard distant chatter and immediately tensed. What would happen if someone finds me? What would happen if someone knew that I really was that fox-faced girl from District 5? I decided to wait a day in my cave, camouflaging myself and making sure that I wasn't seen. A boy, about my age, was straying from the group and checking out things for himself.

I wanted to warn him to go back to the group and not get lost, because it isn't so much fun, living in the arena. But I decided to let him stay and figure it out for himself. I stayed, hiding in the cave, combing my fingers through my hair, somehow keeping myself entertained, and watching him, always watching him. He never went away from that spot, and I wondered what was intriguing him so much that he would just stay there.

So the hours went by, and he stayed, poking around. I heard on the announcements, "attention. The tour has stopped now. The gate will be closing in 5,4,3,2,1, and I heard a lurching noise. The boy was stricken, with shock showing all over his face. I wanted to come out, to talk to him, but still, I used virtually all the patience I had to wait until later during the day. I dreaded having to talk to him, yet was also looking forward to it because I haven't had a normal conversation with someone in the longest time.

Night fell, and it was time to confront the boy. I slowly crept out of my place in the cave, as he slowly crept in. I guess he needed shelter. So, I made a silent countdown in my head, and on "1" I looked straight into his eyes. They were brown, a deep brown. He had blond hair, and was about as tall as me. I wonder how old he is. I wonder how old I am.

We sat there, staring at each other, and when I finally mustered up the courage to say, "hi," he screamed and ran. I felt my heart sink to the ground and all my legs go numb. He's scared of me. I don't know why he wouldn't be, but at least he could have asked who I am before running.

I ran after him, while saying, "look! There's nothing to be scared about! I've been living here, just like you! C'mon, we could survive better together!" But it was no use, because he kept running. I gave up, after about a mile, and collapsed onto the ground.

We'll be in the arena together, so it's not like we won't see each other again, and he'll have to talk to me eventually. He's from the capitol, so he won't know how to survive, and only I will be able to teach him. If he doesn't talk to me, he'll die.


	6. Dylan

**A/N: R&R! I'm not very good at writing long chapters but I'll try my best! **

I slowly slunk back to my cave and collapsed, defeated. _It's no use, _I thought. _That boy won't talk to me ever. _So I continued my daily routines, but now I'm thankful that I have the materials, the experience, and the skills to survive here while that capitol boy doesn't. Maybe he'll come around, maybe.

I went back to the rope swing and took a couple more runs off of it, but this time my heart wasn't in it. I remember thinking about how much I would like someone to share that fun ride across the lake with. And now I know that there's someone else in the arena that I could be sharing that with. I wonder where he is.

But, I decided to take my mind off of him. For all I know, he could be rescued already, out of the arena. If he was, that would not be good because he would tell people that I was there. No, I could already have been taken out if that were the case. So the only thing left to do is to wait for him to come around and need my help.

That moment is actually sooner than I had expected. When I got back to my cave, I saw him. He was in the process of attempting to steal some of my food! But, since he's from the capitol, he didn't know how to be sneaky enough, so I caught him. I said, "Oh no you don't," and looked at him. He freaked out and dropped everything.

"Sorry-I-you-we-just-hungry." I enjoyed watching him stutter. But I'm not an evil person. So after standing there for about a minute, I did the thing that would surprise him the most. I smiled at him. "Don't worry," I said, "you can have some. But you'll need to help me hunt for more after." He nodded, and stuck out his hand.

"I'm Dylan," he said. "What's your name?" I shook his hand and told him that my name is Danielle. "Well, Danielle, you look like a fox." I sighed, how many people are going to say that to me?"

"Yeah, that's why I had a reputation in the Games as being 'that fox-faced girl.'"

His eyes widened. "YOU'RE that fox-faced girl from District 5?" I nodded. "But I thought you died!"

I smiled. "I thought I did too. But…" I explained to him what had happened with the tracker and the security cameras. "So, I've been carving out a life here ever since." The boy showed utter disbelief and he said to me, "My mom was one of your sponsors. She really wanted you to win."

"Well," I replied, "if we ever get out of here then you can tell her that I actually did live. And thanks for the sponsor money." He smiled, and I returned it.

From that day on, we were a team, a dynamic duo. We hunted together, fished together, ate together and slept together **(A/N: well, in the same cave. Not together together, if you know what I mean ;)** I realized that I had not yet shown him the rope swing. In the excitement that we had become friends, I forgot all about it.

"Hey! Dylan! I need to show you something!" He looked up from the fish that he was eating.

"What is it?" I lead him over to the pond, and started to climb the tree. He followed.

"A couple days ago, I made a rope swing. You can swing off this rope and jump into the lake. Here, I'll show you." I grasped the rope and jumped off of the tree. I swung across the lake and fell into the water, laughing as my hair got soaked. "Your turn!"

He gave me a shaky smile and went to try it for himself. He fell off the tree, rather than jumping off, but he still swung across and landed with me. He came up laughing also. "Isn't it fun?" I asked. He started grinning like crazy and nodded.

That night, I was thinking. _My wish came true_, I thought. _I have someone to enjoy this rope swing with. _And on that thought, I slept.


	7. Getting Ready

**A/N: Enjoy chapter 7! Remember to review! And I think that soon they will get out of the arena…maybe the next chapter after this one? **

I woke up to Dylan grunting and groaning. "I'm hungry," he kept mumbling. I shook him awake. "Hey, Dani. Can I call you that?"

"Sure!" I smiled. "Now, let me get you some food. You kept mumbling 'I'm hungry' in your sleep."

"I did?" He turned a pink color and looked a bit embarrassed. So we set out. I fished, he gathered berries, (I made sure that they weren't Nightlock) and we set up breakfast with enough food to probably last us a day. As we sat down and ate, I noticed Dylan throwing up berries and catching them in his mouth.

As I gave him a glance, he protested, "what? You try its fun!" So I started throwing the berries too and catching them. We started to have contests like who could make the smoothest catch and who could throw one the highest.

I threw one up very high and caught it in my mouth. "Nice!" Dylan said and gave me a high five. We sat there, smiling at each other and ate some berries and fish. I sighed.

"Now, if only we had sponsors and people to bring us food, we could have nice things at times." I sighed and wistfully looked around the arena. Dylan was lying down and sat up straight when he heard me.

"Oh yeah! I forgot! You were in the Games! Tell me about it!" I sighed. The Games weren't exactly something I wanted to repeat, but I gave him the play by play of the cornucopia, of sneaking around, spying on the Girl on Fire, and the ways I got food.

I then took a deep breath and explained to him the berries incident. I told him about blasting the security cameras and living out in this arena. Dylan watched with sad eyes. As I finished, I said, "and that's when I met you."

"Wow, Dani, you've been through a lot." I nodded and slightly smiled.

"I'm hoping to get out of the arena soon, the next time that a capitol tour comes we can make ourselves very clean, sneak out, and I'll catch a train home during the next games!"

"That's a good idea, but there's a huge rebellion going on right now. There's not going to be a 76th Game."

Wow, so I've already been in the arena for an entire year. "What was the 75th like? I know it was a quarter quell." Dylan nodded, and went on to tell me that existing victors from each district went into the games.

"How did the Girl on Fire do?" I knew that she was the only female victor from 12. "And was she with Peeta or that drunken dude?"

"Well, actually, what happened was that the drunken dude got reaped but Peeta volunteered because he wanted to protect Katniss in the arena."

"Wow, so they really are that much in love. I remember the announcement that two could win if they were district partners and how Katniss yelled out Peeta's name."

So Dylan and I talked, and talked, and talked, but as we did, and he told me about life outside of the arena, I realized just how much I want to get out. I asked Dylan when the next capitol tour was. "Well," he replied, "the tours run once a week in this arena, and I've been here for six days, so there will probably be one tomorrow!"

I gasped. _Tomorrow? _"Well then," I looked at Dylan. "We better make ourselves look clean because we are making a great escape tomorrow." We spent the day at the lake, bathing in it and putting on fresh clothes. We scrubbed our faces and brushed our hair with our fingers.

In this arena, we wouldn't be able to apply makeup that the capitol uses so if anyone asks, we would just pull the excuse that we were really trying to get into it. I would act as myself, and Dylan would act as my district partner-he got killed in the bloodbath so I never really got to know him, but his name was Roger.

The last step was the trip to the cornucopia. Dylan and I hiked there and set up where we would sleep during the night. As we lay down, Dylan held my hand as we gazed up at the stars and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone! I totally forgot about this story! I haven't updated in like three months! Well, I think I'm going to continue. When I have time. But until I do, check out my story called The Surf's Always Up on Fictionpress! I've been working on it for such a long time and I would really appreciate it! But I'll work on this story soon, once I remember what the plot line was going to be :P


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